Guideposts Articles

Your Heart’s Desire—When You Least Expect It!

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by sophy-burnham

Angels are such interesting beings. They are very different from spirits and ghosts. When you see (more commonly you “feel”) an angel, you are swept up in warmth, safety and unfathomable tender love. Mother! cries your soul, or Home!

Unlike we humans, who give way to doubt and even deny the existence of God when things don’t appear to be working out the way we want—or in our timing—angels believe that all things proceed from God. But angels know one thing that we poor humans don’t. It’s one of the laws of the universe: Whatever we want will be given to us—not necessarily when we want it, but if it is good for us, we receive it, when we’re not thinking about it! In other words, you get everything you want, when you don’t care anymore!

As a child, you wanted a dog…and 30 years later you find yourself buying a dog for your own child. You wanted a particular job—and one day to your surprise it pours itself on you. You broke up with your childhood sweetheart…and married him 40 years later.

How many examples in your life can you think of where you received the prayers of your heart after you’d totally forgotten wanting them?

When It’s Hard to Ask for Prayers

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

I keep thinking about Mom’s initial reluctance to put Dad’s name on the prayer list at church. Dad was in the hospital, in a lot of pain and when asked Mom said, “You don’t need to put him on the prayer list.”

It’s not that she didn’t think he could have used the prayers or that she didn’t trust the power of prayer. Maybe it’s because she didn’t want people to worry. Maybe she didn’t want to be a bother. Maybe she didn’t want to acknowledge her needs.

I know the feeling. I remember when my name was on the prayer list at our church when I had heart surgery and as soon as I could, a month after the operation, I announced I was okay and told everybody they didn’t have to pray for me. “I’m fine,” I insisted. But there were several more months of recovery, of achiness, of bad sleep, of weariness, when I could have used more prayers.

What is it about this hesitancy to ask for help? Is it misplaced pride or a wish for privacy. I can’t say for my mom, but in me it’s a fear that I’ll become tiresome, always talking about my needs. I look around and see how many others seem to have greater needs. But how can I get help if I don’t ask?

So here’s an announcement. I’m going to dispense with this reluctance. Sometimes prayers need to be kept private, just between God and me. Others deserve to be shared. A spiritual community wants to know, wants to help. And dare I say, God does too?

“I put Dad’s name back on the prayer list,” my sister said. She and my brother-in-law go to the same church.

“That’s okay,” Mom said. People could know, people do know. They’re glad to be part of what’s happening to us because it’s happening to them.

What Prayer Can Do: Hand in Hand

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Brett Leveridge

It’s a tradition in my parish to hold a special evening Mass every December, when we gather in a barn instead of at the church. Sometimes there are barn animals in attendance, and pets are welcome. What better way to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus than in a place not so different from the stable where he came into the world that first Christmas? It’s one of my favorite events of the holiday season, and I try never to miss it.

So imagine my disappointment the year I got to the barn late. Our congregation, the choir, the animals—the barn was overflowing. Some folks sat crowded on hay bales. Others stood shoulder to shoulder. I caught only a glimpse of the priest at the makeshift altar when I tried to squeeze in the door. The Holy Family stayed in the manger because there was no room at the inn, I thought, but where do you go if there’s no room in the barn?

I stepped back outside and spotted an empty picnic table under the overhanging roof. I wouldn’t be able to see the service, but at least I could hear what was going on. I settled myself at the table alone.

It wasn’t so bad attending Mass outside under the stars, but when it came time to say the Lord’s Prayer, I knew I was missing out. We held hands during that prayer, then turned to one another and offered a greeting of peace. Alone on my bench, I felt disconnected from my church family. I didn’t know what else to do, so I closed my eyes and held my hands out to my sides, palms up.

I’ll just pretend….“Our Father, who art in heaven—” Something touched my left hand, and I opened my eyes in surprise. A big white dog sat on the ground at my feet, one paw resting in the palm of my hand. He seemed perfectly content in that position while I finished the prayer. My companion didn’t budge when I said, “Amen.”

Inside the barn, a murmur spread through the congregation as everyone shook hands and wished one another peace. The dog cocked his head at me as if to say, “What are you waiting for?” I gave his paw a friendly shake. “Peace be with you,” I said. Only then did he take his leave.

There was no room for me under the rafters of the barn that Christmas. But my prayer companion had shown me that God’s house is bigger than any barn or stable or church, and his family comes in all shapes and sizes. There’s room for us all under the stars.

What Prayer Can Do: Blanket of Peace

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Brett Leveridge

I lay down on the gurney, and a nurse spread a thin blanket over me to keep me comfortable.

“You’ll have a short wait before we can do your ultrasound,” she said. She started an IV and then pulled a curtain around the little cubicle to give me some privacy. “Just try to relax until then.”

When a recent colonoscopy had revealed a cancerous tumor, I wanted it out of my body as soon as possible. But the doctors first needed to develop a treatment plan based on the stage of the cancer. The endoscopic ultrasound that day would reveal how serious my condition was. What if the cancer had spread?

Covid restrictions had prevented my husband from keeping me company before my procedure. Once the nurse left, it was just me in that cubicle, all alone with my fears. And the Lord. Help me get through this, I prayed. And whatever comes next.

Worst-case scenarios ran through my head. What if surgery couldn’t help? What if there was nothing the doctors could do?

Then, out of nowhere, a feeling of peace descended. It settled over me like a blanket, covering me, smothering my fears. Looking down, I realized that my left hand was bunched up in an actual blanket—the one the nurse had spread over me.

I remembered a story in the Gospel of Matthew. The one about the ailing woman whose faith was so strong that she only had to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe to be healed.

This must be what the hem of that robe felt like, I thought, rubbing the thin blanket.

The sensation of the fabric between my fingers calmed me and made the Lord feel even closer. By the time the nurse returned to take me to the procedure room for the ultrasound, I was ready to face whatever came next.

The ultrasound showed that my cancer had not spread. The tumor is gone now, removed by a surgeon. But I still remember the feel of that blanket in my hand and the peace it brought me.

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What Are Your Prayer Themes in the New Year?

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

Some of the most fun I have every year, believe it or not, is a habit I’ve cultivated for decades now: reviewing the past year’s goals while setting new ones for the coming year. They cover categories from spiritual and mental health to marriage, family, finances and career. I make sure these goals are achievable by me, not relying on situations or people beyond my control. (I might not publish a book this year, but I can write a manuscript.) But a few years ago, I recognized a shortcoming in this careful approach. What about the things hugely important to me, but beyond my control? Things I long to see come to pass. Things I think about daily. Things I pray for, fervently. So I created a new category: prayer themes.

Top Prayer Themes

This category now includes my top five prayer themes. They include healing for two grandchildren who cope daily with the effects of cystic fibrosis. A loved one’s recovery from addiction. An important work project. Even the need for reform or integrity in state and national affairs.

Though I keep the focus each year on five top concerns, many of those annual prayer themes have carried over from one year to the next. Some have been answered—none miraculously, yet, but it’s only been a few years. And the focus has helped me to look above and beyond things I control to things only God can accomplish.

In this new year, you might consider—beyond the usual resolutions or goal setting—building a few prayer themes. It may help to lift and broaden your focus, as it has mine, to look above and beyond things you control to things only God can accomplish.

You Can Worry, or You Can Pray

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Bob Hostetler

What are your top worries today? Your kids? Your job? Your marriage? Money? Health? All of the above?

You’re not alone. Everyone worries—right? What else are we supposed to do? There are so many things to be anxious about. Some of us are even anxious about our high anxiety levels. We worry about our blood pressure, which only increases our blood pressure.

But the cure for worry is not worrying less. It’s praying more.

I have believed for years—and have told as many people as I can get to listen—that I think worry and prayer are two sides of the same coin. Worry is simply “negative prayer.” Or, if you prefer, “anti-prayer.” It is the opposite of praying. You can worry, or you can pray, but you can’t do both. Worry negates prayer. Prayer cancels worry.

I think that’s why, in Philippians 4:6, Paul, the great first-century church planter, told the people in the Philippian church, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6, NIV). The antidote to anxiety or worry, in every situation, is to present your requests to God. To put it even more briefly, “Don’t worry, pray.”

It may sound simplistic but it is not easy. Consider two scenarios:

Scenario 1: You’re worried about your health. You’ve noticed things but haven’t told anyone. You should probably see a doctor, but that takes time—and money. And that brings up another worry: finances. You never seem to have enough, and you’re sure your health insurance premiums will skyrocket next month. Which ignites your worry for your health again, and you’re right back where you started.

In that scenario, you’ve expended a lot of energy and gotten nowhere. Worse, your anxiety may actually make things worse, exacerbating your health issues and exhausting your energy to review your budget.

Scenario 2: You’ve noticed a few things that could prompt you to worry about your health, so you turn to prayer. “God, thank you for Your invitation to cast all my cares on You, knowing that You care for me (1 Peter 5:7). I don’t know what’s going on with me health-wise, but You do. I don’t even know where the money would come from to see the doctor but if that’s what I need, help me to trust You to supply all my needs according to my riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Heal me. Help me. Handle all this for me and give me wisdom, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

That may not be how you pray but it does present a contrast. The first scenario fills your mind, heart and body with fear, anxiety and stress. The second empties your mind, heart and body of those harmful substances while also drawing you and God closer together. And, since God loves to answer prayer, it produces positive effects—some you may hope for and others you may not expect—in you and for you.

So what are your top worries today? Start there. In those situations, “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).

YOU Are an Answer to Prayer

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

YOU are an answer to prayer. You might not be aware of it. You could easily overlook it, but I feel certain that at some point today, yesterday, tomorrow, last month, last year, you have been and/or will be an answer to prayer.

Truth to tell I don’t usually think of myself as an answer to prayer. Sounds a little grand, selfish, bold, self-congratulatory. I mean really, who do I think I am?

Well, for example…I just got an email from a friend and longtime contributor, a wonderful writer (gosh, that could describe a lot of people), who told me that she got good news from me via a colleague just 20 minutes after she and her mother had prayed for an answer.

How cool is that?

Think about what happens to you in the course of a day. You make a phone call, you send a text, you forward an article, you smile at a stranger, you slow down on the freeway and let a harried driver into your lane, you put a buck in a beggar’s hand.

Sometimes you know how you bless someone. Most of the time you don’t. I like that even better. Seems to accord with what Jesus said about praying in secret and how “Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.”

It’s more than a little awe-inspiring to think of being an answer to prayer again and again. But that’s the way God’s world works or to quote another Biblical verse, we become “co-laborers” with God.

It’s not really self-congratulatory at all. It’s totally humbling. To think that any of us could make such a difference.

Curious fact: You’ll find that the people who have been answers to prayer for you, you have been the same to them. Tons of times.

So thanks Peggy–Peggy Frezon the name of the writer I mentioned–and Diana–Diana Aydin, the name of the colleague. Me an answer to prayer?

No, that would be YOU.

Why Say ‘Pray for Me’?

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

What do you mean when you say, “pray for me?”

I’ve got a book out by that title and have had the pleasure to speak to some church groups and meet with folks at bookstores, reading from the book which tells about a time when people did indeed pray for me.

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People have said many kind things about the book and my readings and they have been incredibly supportive (what a blessing there is in having wonderful friends). But one recent email was especially illuminating.

As most of you know, I like to sing and I figure whether we’re in a bookstore or a conference room or at a shopping mall or in a church basement, there is healing power in singing together.

Because the book is about friendship, I like it when we sing that old Simon and Garfunkel classic “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

I’ve found that most people know the tune and remember the words and if the high notes are a little too high, well, it’s fine to sing it down an octave. What could be better than making music together?

There’s a line in the book that says, “Not for nothing does singing the blues put me in the pink. Even sad songs can make sadness bearable, putting thoughts into words and music.” Ain’t it the truth.

But back to that question. What do we mean when we say “pray for me?”

The obvious answer is we are going through something rough, and we want others to pray for us, to help us get through to the other side.

But a wise friend amplified my understanding of that simple phrase “Pray for me.” It doesn’t just mean “Pray me through this turmoil.” It also means pray on my behalf. Pray at this time of my life when I can barely pray for myself.

Jesus once said that wherever two of more were gathered together in His name, He would be there too.

That’s exactly what happens when we’re brave enough to tell someone: Pray for me.

There is a healing power in community. Put yourself in it. Be a part of that. Pray for someone else and let them pray for you.

Who’ll Start the Rain?

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by 26096pwpadmin

It’s too dry for June 1. For the third year in a row drought conditions were parching Montana. I could feel the relentless heat on my face and arms as I headed across the farmyard to the house.

Earlier in the spring when we took the cows to grass, instead of new crested wheat greening the hills and creek bottoms, brittle brown stems from last year crunched under the cows’ hooves.

Normally, snow pack in the mountains fed the rivers through the summer, but now the rivers were nothing more than useless shallow streams….

Inside I spoke to my friend Jeanie on the phone. “What can we do about this drought?” I asked.

“Wanda, you’re good with words. Write a prayer to send out. Something to get everyone praying.”

I can’t do that, I thought. But, then, I sat down at my computer and began to type: “We need to pray for rain to fall across our state of Montana.”

The words flowed. “Soft, gentle rain over our mountains, steady, even rain moving across our prairies. Rain soaking deep into the ground…. We have no covering for our peaks. Send the snow to mantle their tops.” Snow! That’s outrageous. It’s June already. But the words kept coming.

I emailed the prayer to family and friends and urged them to email it to others. I don’t know how many people prayed that day, but on June 4 I got an email from my sister: “Missoula got six inches of snow.”

The next message was from a friend in Libby in the northwest corner of Montana: “It’s pouring! We’ve been getting downpours all day!” I rushed outside and looked at the sky.

Clouds, heavy gray ones, with rain. One, two, three drops falling ever so gently on my face, each one an answer to prayer.

Download your FREE ebook, A Prayer for Every Need, by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

When to Take Someone off Your Prayer List

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Rick Hamlin

This is really a thank you to all the people, many complete strangers, who have been praying for my brother-in-law Mike and my sister Diane.

When the small plane Mike was a passenger on crashed March 16, Diane’s first words on the phone to me were, “Pray, please pray as hard as you can.” Mike was in the E.R. lingering between life and death for 24 hours, burns covering much of his body, his internal injuries so dire that he had to get 32 units of blood.

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Then he was in a burn unit, the skin painfully cleansed once a day, skin grafted on the burned spots and all of us visiting in surgical gowns to protect him from any infection. For many of those weeks, he was on such high doses of pain killers that he was barely conscious.

In the middle of this month, he was released to a rehab hospital, where he went through long, grueling days of therapy, learning again how to walk, stand, sit. It was there that Diane finally told him the tragic details of the crash, how he was the only survivor, how he lost dear colleagues and friends. They both wept.

Just last week he came home. Home! Such a celebration. He’s gone to a soccer game. He’s gone to the movies. He sleeps in his own bed—fitfully, but he’s there.

It feels like time to take him off the prayer list at church and to let you know that although, like all of us, his family needs prayers, the urgency has lifted. The prayers are ones of thanksgiving. As Diane has said, “I see new things in him every day that remind me of what I love in him.”

Thank you, dear friends and dear strangers; your prayers have been answered. Here’s a picture of Mike on his front porch with his daughter as living proof.

When the Answer Is Right in Front of You

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Michelle Cox

Sometimes we don’t see things that are right in front of us. Earlier this week I was searching for my hair clip. I looked through the make-up bag where I normally keep it, but it wasn’t there. I searched our family room to see if I’d left it on the coffee table or one of the end tables—but no hair clip. I moved on to my office to see if I might have taken it out of my hair while I was working at my computer, but it wasn’t in any of those places.

The search continued through the guest room where I sometimes finish getting ready, the bathroom to see if I’d left the clip there, and my purse in case I’d absent-mindedly stuck the hair clip inside.

It was nowhere to be found, but I really needed it to keep my hair from getting wet, so I did a slower more intensive search, backtracking through each of the places I’d already searched and adding a few new spots—but still no clip.

And then as I walked back through the kitchen, I reached to brush a strand of hair back … and realized that my hair clip was…in my hair. Oh, my.

I hate to admit it, but this isn’t the first time something like that has happened. I’ve searched frantically for my cell phone…while talking on it. And I’ve looked the house over for my glasses, only to discover that they were perched on top of my head.

Even worse, there have been many times in my life when I’ve searched for answers to situations that were breaking my heart, or where I was afraid, or when I needed direction. And just as I did with the hair clip, I wasted a lot of time searching the wrong places when the answers were right in front of me—in God’s Word.

Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”

I Chronicles 16:11 tells us, “Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.”

And Deuteronomy 4:27 shares, “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”

Friend, do you need answers today? It will never be difficult to find them if you’ll just look for the directions that are waiting for you in God’s Word.

When God Speaks to Us in Our Dreams

Posted on March 11, 2026March 13, 2026 by Diana Aydin

Has God ever spoken to you in a dream?

I’ve never experienced it myself, but I’m always fascinated by those who have. Like today’s guest blogger, Patricia Small, a writer and regular Guideposts contributor. You might remember her dream about a comforting and healing pool of water from Mysterious Ways magazine.

That wasn’t the only time Patricia found comfort from God in a dream, though.

Here’s her story…

“All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided, great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto Me.” How many times have I offered these words as a prayer of thanksgiving, as I look back to God’s faithfulness to me.

Like when I was 34 years old and found myself recently divorced, alone, having to start over financially, and realizing how desperately I wanted children. I was scared and crying out to God for help and comfort. And then the dreams came.

The first one came in the middle of the night and was so startling that I woke up right away. In the dream, I saw a partial rainbow arch right above my bed. “Where did that come from?” I wondered before dropping my head back on my pillow. Sleep quickly overcame me, as did a second dream. This time, the arch had grown and was now the equivalent of half a rainbow. “What in the world?” I thought when I woke up. “Lord, what do these dreams mean?”

I knew that rainbows can be a symbol of God’s promises, and I sensed God trying to speak His promises to me in a personal way. But what was He saying? “Lord, if you’re speaking to me, please let me see another rainbow,” I prayed. I knew that if the sign came from God, I would know it.

Read More: God’s Answer to a Prayer

Two days later, my 5-year-old niece Suzanne came to sleep over. She was a sensitive and spiritual child. Our favorite time together was reading stories before bedtime, and then saying our evening prayers. She looked forward to this time as much as I did. So I was surprised when, around bedtime, I heard her rummaging around my art supplies instead of getting ready for sleep.

“Can I watercolor, Aunt Patricia?” she asked me.

“Well, it’s time to go to bed now,” I said gently. “We can watercolor in the morning.”

Early the next morning, I was awakened by Suzanne going through my art supplies. “Can I watercolor now, Aunt Patricia?” she said. The morning was chilly and I was once again perplexed at her wanting to be out of her warm bed to watercolor. “Sure, sweetheart,” I said. I sleepily stumbled into the kitchen and returned with a little cup of water for her to dip her brush in.

I quickly, because of the cold, returned to bed. I could’ve easily drifted back to sleep. But then I heard Suzanne’s sweet little voice. “You know what I’m gonna make you, Aunt Tricia?” she said. “I’m gonna make you a rainbow, and I’m gonna put you under the rainbow.”

That was it. The rainbow I was waiting for! I recognized my Father’s voice and the tears came. Especially when I saw Suzanne’s painting.

Me, smiling with a giant rainbow above me, my hands raised to the sky. A sign of God’s promise. That He would never leave me, that He always had me. That I wasn’t alone.